Isha prayer
The night prayer, performed after twilight has disappeared
How many rakats is Isha?
How many rakats is Isha? 4 sunnah before the fardh, 4 fardh, 2 sunnah after the fardh, 2 nafl, 3 witr. This page lists 17 in the site’s total column, which sums every category in the table.
Rakats breakdown
Sunnah and witr in this table follow one common presentation (Hanafi) where schools differ; obligatory (fardh) rakats are the same across Sunni schools. Minor variations appear in other schools.
Overview
Isha is the fifth and final daily prayer. It consists of 4 Sunnah, 4 Fardh, 2 Sunnah Muakkadah, 2 Nafl, and is followed by 3 rakats of Witr (which is Wajib in Hanafi school and highly emphasized in all schools). The time begins when the red twilight disappears and extends until midnight according to most scholars. If you are learning the night prayer, the site breaks out Witr, Tahajjud, and Tarawih as separate topics.
When it is prayed
From when red twilight disappears until midnight (or dawn according to some scholars)
"Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night."
— Quran 17:78
Read verseKey reminders
- Witr comes after Isha in the Hanafi presentation; the night-prayer pages separate Witr, Tahajjud, and Tarawih
- Angels witness Isha and Fajr prayers
- Final prayer of the day
Related pages
Sources
"If people knew what is in the call to prayer and the first row, and they could not attain it except by drawing lots, they would draw lots. If they knew what is in praying Isha and Fajr in congregation, they would come to them even if crawling."
— Sahih al-Bukhari 615
Read full reference"Witr is a duty (Haqq) upon every Muslim, so whoever wishes to pray five rak'ahs of Witr may do so, and whoever wishes to pray three may do so, and whoever wishes to pray one may do so."
— Sunan Abu Dawud 1422 (Sahih)
Read full reference